Adoption Timeline

December 2010- Review information on different local home study and child placing agencies as well as differences between domestic and international adoption as well as different countries open to international adoption as provided by agencies.

January 1, 2011 - Make the announcement to friends and family. Declaring this the year of HOPE.

January 5, 2011 - Heard a scripture at church in a new way confirming to me what God was speaking to my heart.
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." Isaiah 43:5

January 14, 2011 - Met with a homestudy agency and decided to go with them and decided on placing agency. Paid application fee. We are applying to adopt from South Korea!!!

January 24, 2011 - First homestudy meeting with social worker at her home.

January 25, 2011 - Medical Exams.


February 7, 2011 - 2nd homestudy meeting, this time at our home.

March 21, 2011 - Pre-Application with AIAA accepted and notification that the formal application would be sent in 4-6 weeks.

April 9, 2011 - Recieved Formal Application with AIAA!!! (Notice...it was much shorter than the projected 4-6 week wait for the formal app! Thank you God!)

April 28, 2011 - Mailed formal application back to AIAA.

May 1, 2011 - Got notification our I600A was being processed.

May 13, 2011 - Got notification of our USCIS biometrics appointment!

Late May 2011 - Received word South Korea has met their quota for EPs for the year and our file is stuck in the states until movement is seen again. Probably late fall 2011.

June 7, 2011 - Biometrics Appointment!!!

June 26, 2011 - I600A sent to Seoul! This was the first piece of paperwork to make it out of country!

October 2011- Learned of new referrals coming in from South Korea. Called placement agency to ask likelihood of our file going to Korea soon and learned it may be early 2012 before our placement agency is able to send our file out of country.

November 2011- Talked with our placement agency. No new files will be sent by them until after the New Year.

January 9, 2012- We got an email from our placement agency stating that while our file may be sent sometime this year (2012) and we may even get a referral, it will be very unlikely we will travel this year. The email also stated with the new proposed laws in South Korea, it is hard to predict anything right now.

January 11, 2012- We received an email from a cousin asking if we would be interested in learning more about a friend of hers who has chosen adoption. I called my cousin to get a few details and she said her friend would like to meet us.

January 14, 2012- One year ago we signed our first piece of paperwork. Today we met with a very wonderful mama who would like to pursue an open-adoption plan with us. We learned she is due in March, but expected to have the baby sometime next month!

January 16, 2012- Met with attorney.

January 25, 2012- Homestudy update & physicals.

March 9, 2012 - Samuel Asher is born and placed in our arms.

March 11, 2012- Temporary Custody papers are signed.

March 13, 2012- Adoption Consents are signed and we go home!

March 14, 2012- Birth mother calls and has changed her mind. She cannot complete the adoption.

March 15, 2012- We place Samuel back in the arms of his birth mother.

Spring 2012- Taking a bit of a break from the process for our hearts to heal and pray for guidance on how to proceed.

Mother's Day 2012- Decide to reactivate our file with AIAA (placement agency).

May 24, 2012- Our file was sent to South Korea!

May 2012- Begin working as a homestudy provider/adoption social worker with our homestudy agency! Yay! Love this job!

October 2012- Much research on the new adoption law in Korea and talking with our placement agency leave us praying for direction to see if we need to change programs.

November 5, 2012- Ethan prayed for a baby "by Sunday or Monday".

November 9, 2012- See an email from our agency about  3 day old Ellie and after a whirlwind few hours, we learned she was to be our daughter.

November 10, 2012- After an earthquake, blizzard, closed interstates and lost luggage we make it to Fergus Falls, Minnesota and have to stop and spend the night.

November 11, 2012- We make it to the city where she is waiting for us in the NICU and WE MEET OUR DAUGHTER!

November 21, 2012- We make it back home and Ethan meets his sister!

December 27, 2012- We Finalize Ellie's adoption!

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